BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 22, 2025
Musicians played live music, vendors were set up in front of the local port authority building and City Hall closed at noon Thursday as Eastport welcomed the first Virgin Voyages cruise ship to ever visit Maine. As Bar Harbor sought to increase its cruise ship business, which over 30 years grew from a little over 20 visits a year to nearly 160 in 2019, officials there would hold similar events celebrating visits by ships such as the Queen Elizabeth 2. The red-carpet rollout for the Virgin ship Brilliant Lady, which can carry 2,800 passengers, contrasts with summer scenes in downtown Bar Harbor these days, which has banned large cruise ship visits. This year Eastport is expected to get roughly 25 visits; seven can carry more passengers than Eastport has residents.